Everyone experiences losses and the accompanying grief in their lifetime. Unfortunately, in our Western culture, grief is often pathologized, and we can feel like others expect us to be “fine” after a certain – often very short – amount of time.

Loss comes in many forms. An obvious example is the loss of a loved one through bereavement. Other examples of losses include losing a job, the loss of a significant relationship or relationships, the loss of a physical ability (e.g. due to injury, age or illness), the loss of an opportunity or future dream that can no longer happen, and the loss of self or a former identity (e.g. transition to a new life stage).

Many people are able to process a loss naturally, over time and with the help of supportive others.

However, on occasion, people can become stuck in their grief, and may benefit from some additional professional support.

Reasons why people may experience difficulties that go beyond more common exeriences of grief include:

• the death of someone incredibly close to them.
• an unexpected or sudden loss.
• the death of someone with whom they had a very complicated relationship with.
• a loss of self (identity / ability) that feels overwhelming.
• a loss tied in with traumatic circumstances (e.g. someone taking their own life, witnessing an accident etc).

In instances like these, people can benefit from professional help to support them through their grieving process.

If you need some support around processing and grieving a loss that feels significant and overwhelming to you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch so that we can explore this together.